6 Tips for a Stress-Free Mortgage Process

The Do’s and Don’ts of the Mortgage Process

Buying a house is a large decision comprised of a lot of smaller decisions. Aside from choosing your colors, cabinets, and countertops, you will also need to prepare specific documents to qualify for a home loan. To help you navigate your way through the mortgage process, here is a list of do’s and don’ts that will lead to a smooth lender experience.

6 Tips for a Stress-Free Mortgage Process

DO

Research your lender

When it comes to choosing a mortgage lender, find a lender who you feel has your back and will give you good advice, not just one who offers low rates and low or no-down payment plans. If you use a lender you’ve worked with before without doing additional research, you may be missing out on a plan that saves you a significant amount of money over time. To accurately gauge the mortgage process that will be the best fit for you, it helps if you’re ready to provide your credit score, income, and assets, so that a prospective mortgage lender can quickly crunch accurate numbers for you. Having the right lender can make the entire home buying process smooth and enjoyable.

Whether you choose to work with the Fornerette Team or not, we would be happy to answer your questions about mortgages or the home buying process. Feel free to reach out!

Organize your files

Within the mortgage process, you will need to submit many documents such as your tax returns, W-2’s, pay stubs, proof of employment, bank statements, and other situational documents. To ensure a straightforward process, it helps immensely if you have these documents ready to submit when your lender requests. If you start compiling your documents when your lender requests, you may find that you have to track down your tax return from 2 years ago, which could take weeks for your tax accountant or some other resource to send to you. This could delay your approved loan and ultimately delay your close date.

Get adequate home owner’s insurance

You never know what could happen at home. A fire, an earthquake, a robbery, a hurricane, etc. You can’t predict what will happen but you want to be prepared. Having comprehensive home owner’s insurance can help you recover more quickly after a tragedy, and will provide you with peace of mind when you aren’t home. A couple extra dollars a month could mean thousands of dollars of recovery insurance.

DON’T

Don’t make any large purchases before closing

If you have to make a large purchase before your home loan closes, make sure to talk to your lender first! Large purchases may be seen as red flags to your lender or the underwriter. It could be seen as a hidden payment that you failed to disclose on your application. It’s common to purchase large appliances for your home such as washer dryers, refrigerators, and dishwashers, just make sure you’re in the clear with your lender first. A quick email to your lender can prevent your loan from being extended or even canceled.

Change or quit your job

If possible, try to stay in the same job during the length of your mortgage application. Changing jobs can also be seen as a red flag to your lender or underwriter. Losing your job, while sometimes unavoidable, can also delay or even end your mortgage eligibility. Generally, lenders want to see you’ve been in a job for two years, and getting a new job, can bring up more questions as well as more paperwork. That said, extenuating circumstances could preclude a job change or job loss from derailing your mortgage process.

Schedule vacations near your closing

Your mortgage lender may or may not ask for additional documentation during your mortgage process. The closer you are to closing, the more important it is that you submit your documents in a timely fashion. If you are on a family vacation somewhere with limited email availability, you likely won’t have access to all of your tax returns, W-2’s, pay stubs etc. and will have to wait until you get home to send them over to your lender. If you don’t submit your documents in a timely fashion, it could risk delaying your closing date.

 

A smooth mortgage process is part art, part science. Contact us to find out more about how we demystify the process and work hard to make the experience of buying or refinancing a home more enjoyable for our clients. 

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  1. […] you make a point to get all of these documents ready before hand, your lender can move on to the next step in your mortgage faster. This also gives you time to request additional documents if […]

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